


they see the stars in your eyes (and want to rip them out)

by ephemeralstar



Series: maybe sprout wings [4]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Crackers & Nel Meet, Canon Mute Character, Desert Island Fic, Erinyes, Mentions of Patricide, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 05:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19125229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeralstar/pseuds/ephemeralstar
Summary: "Did he tell you about me?" Crackers calls, "did the holy man tell you about how he played god?" Sasha stiffens beside him; whatever Nel was thinking wasn't kind. "You weren't expectingmewere you? I bet you thought I'd be allshinyandpure;" sarcasm practically dripped from the Kenku's words, contempt thick in his voice, "bet you were worried I'd be half as pretty as you, elf boy-""Shut up, Angathfark." Sasha's voice is quiet, and Crack's mouth closes with an audible click. "He keeps calling you Angathfark.""I don't know who that is," Crackers hisses, more to himself than Sasha, before turning his head pointedly towards the helm of the ship, "I don't know who the fuck you think Angathfark is but my name is Crackers."





	they see the stars in your eyes (and want to rip them out)

Nel is the picture of every pretty, young adventurer Crackers had ever seen. He's angular, photogenic even for an Elf, his skin clear and pale, a light smattering of freckles elegantly dotted across his nose. He's at the helm of the ship, his hair tied back in a loose bun, dirty blonde, and looking softer than it has any right to; with the wind blowing, he looks like the cover of every Fantasy Yacht Magazine Crackers has ever had the displeasure of walking past, and he  _hates_ him. 

The boat's not what Crackers would have expected of Yin, neither as dark or as ostentatious as he has come to expect, so the Kenku has a hunch that Nel is on the same quest as him; hunt that Half-Orc fucker of a father down.

"Why am I tied up?" Crackers calls, straining a little against the chains and rope the other man had tried to secure him with. It's easy enough to get out of, his acid could melt it in a moment, but for now he's humouring him. Every moment that Nel's underestimating him, the closer he's probably getting to Yin. Nel makes a set of complicated gestures with his hands that Crackers can't for the life of him decipher. "What does that  _mean_?" The Kenku groaned, and Nel, giving up trying to sign to him, flips him off and turns away. 

Leaning his head back against the mast that he was tied to, Crackers lets his eyes fall closed and he feels his consciousness latch onto the souls that reside in the gems on his belt. A crease appears in his brow as he wills forth one of the companions. In a moment, there's an Erinyes beside him, sitting carefully cross-legged, waiting patiently; she gives an exasperated look to the Kenku, who rolls his eyes.

" _Hello_ , Sasha; blame him," he nods towards the elf by the wheel, but she doesn't make a move to help him. Hearing Crackers speaking in a language that was both gravelly and painfully familiar, Nel turns, and almost jumps a foot at the sight of the monster sitting calmly beside the Kenku. "Why am I tied up?" Crackers yells at Nel once more in common, before turning to the Erinyes, silently and telepathically asking her what the elf was saying.

"He doesn't want me here," she says, as wry as someone speaking infernal can be. 

"Dude, why are you keeping me tied up?" Crackers calls again. Nel's coming down from the helm for the moment, confused and angry as anything, actually shooing at Sasha, who doesn't seem inclined to move.

"His name is Nel, and he  _really_ doesn't want me here."

"I _know_ his name, and he's not getting rid of-"

The Erinyes holds up a hand and Crackers obligingly falls quiet. A frown creases her brow for a moment.

"He," she pauses for a moment, voice surprisingly hesitant, "he understands infernal, but prefers you speak common." She advised, standing and stretching out her wings, ignoring the elven man who suddenly seemed much more frail and pale in comparison to the winged woman in her full plate armour. Crackers rolled his eyes, giving a snide mental remark about not wanting to be compliant, but he keeps quiet. After a beat, Nel pressed his lips into a thin line, narrowing his eyes as he looked between Crackers still tied up, and the Erinyes. Sasha actually laughs. "This is why he has you tied up; to paraphrase,  _he doesn't trust you as far as he can throw you_."

"Nel, this is Sasha." Crackers announces in common, and Nel just hums, a little confused. Sasha holds out her hand, smile sweet; Nel shakes it, but still seems wary. Once they drop hands, Nel tips his head to the side, looking at the monster, expression thoughtful. Sasha's lips quirk into a smile. "What's he thinking?" Crackers asks, and Sasha sits back beside him, leaning against the mast next to him.

"Why have you chosen me to be your translator?" She asks instead, and Crackers leans his head on her shoulder.

"Because it's still sunny and Krycek wouldn't appreciate it, and Ed-" Crackers lets his smile bleed into his words, "he's not nearly as personable as you." After a beat, the Erinyes lets a warm hum of affectionate familiarity run through her telepathic bond to him. 

" _I missed you too,_ " she doesn't say it out loud, but she projects it clearly into Crackers mind, before finally looking back to Nel. "He doesn't understand."

"Doesn't understand what?"

"How I'm here; us; _you_." 

Nel leaves, heads back to the helm, seems satisfied that Crackers isn't going to escape and that Sasha is docile enough, and doesn't seem like she's about to release him. He underestimates Crackers time and again, but the Kenku does not seem inclined to correct him. The sun is hanging heavy in the sky, twilight painting lilac and gold streaks across the horizon, the first of the night's stars peeking through the veil of sunlight.

"He's half considering throwing you overboard," Sasha breaks the silence, and Crackers snorts, but there's no humour behind it.

"I hate the fuckin' ocean. Why's he even got me here anyways, I probably know less than he does about where that jackass is," Crackers infernal is surprisingly good for someone who only started learning a few years ago. He can understand it like he's been speaking it his whole life, but it's still a little tricky to get his tongue around. Thankfully it just endeared him to the Erinyes, who gently rests her chin on his shoulder, her wings tucked up close to her back, knees drawn up to her chest.

"He doesn't understand you, my dear monster boy, he's looking for the _Stormbringer_ to get answers; your existence feels like..." she hums, thoughtful, " _a betrayal_." The words roll almost delicately from her tongue, and Crackers laughs, low and bitter, turning to bump the side of his beak against her forehead. 

"Did he tell you about me?" Crackers calls, "did the holy man tell you about how he played god?" Sasha stiffens beside him; whatever Nel was thinking wasn't kind. "You weren't expecting  _me_ were you? I bet you thought I'd be all _shiny_ and _pure_ ;" sarcasm practically dripped from the Kenku's words, contempt thick in his voice, "bet you were worried I'd be half as pretty as you, elf boy-"

" _Shut up, Angathfark._ " Sasha's voice is quiet, and Crack's mouth closes with an audible click. "He keeps calling you Angathfark." 

"I don't know who that is," Crackers hisses, more to himself than Sasha, before turning his head pointedly towards the helm of the ship, "I don't know who the fuck you think _Angathfark_ is but my name is Crackers."

"It means-" Before Sasha can even finish her sentence, Crackers cuts her off with his thoughts;  _I know what it means._ Sasha's expression sours considerably and she looks away, silent. 

"Sorry," his voice is low, infernal growling from his throat, "I'm sorry." She still refuses to look at him. "Does he even know where  _Stormbringer_ is?" Sasha stands and spreads her wings, not answering. " _Sasha_." 

"I was doing you a favour, dear," she tells him, tone level, if a little tired. "I don't appreciate being snapped at," she tells him pointedly, dropping a kiss onto the top of the Kenku's head before launching into the air. "I love you, I'll be back."

"Be careful," Crackers calls after her, watching her streak through the sky. From behind him, Crackers hears Nel make an anguished cry, and turning, he sees the elf gesturing helplessly to the Erinyes as she disappears over the waves. "She'll be back." Crackers rolls his eyes, though it doesn't seem to placate Nel in the slightest. After a beat, Crackers opens his beak and lets a few drops of acid drip onto his restraints. There's a moment of sizzling, the smell of burning, melting rope and iron, and he gets up, stretches.

"You don't know where he is, do you?" 

Nel seems surprised that Crackers is free of his bindings, and has blades in his hands before the Kenku can even take another step towards him. Crackers holds up his hands in surrender, far less jovial than before. 

"He's not out here; not on this ocean, or on this world, I don't think he's even on this plane," Crackers pauses, and Nel's stalking towards him, but he doesn't seem phased, "do you even know what happened?" Nel stops, frowning. Crackers lowers his hands, his gaze drifting out to the ocean, his stomach churning at the sight. The wind, as it whips across the top of the water, has Crackers' heartrate pick up, haunted by the image in his mind of a woman rising, threatening the people he loved. Nel's jaw clenches for a moment, and he stands to his full height, looking over the Kenku, confused, curious.

"I thought you would know how to get to him, but you're just as clueless as me, aren't you?" Cracks laughs, though there's no humour in it, "he's ascended, dude; the Bitch Queen made him a God."

All either of them can hear is the overwhelming, unending rush of the ocean, waves crushing against the side of the ship, and Crackers watches a light die behind Nel's eyes. Slowly, he points a single finger to the sky, despair suddenly written all over his face. Crackers nods. Nel's hand balls into a fist, after a beat, he punches the banister of the ship; Crackers can't help but laugh.

"Dad really knows how to fuck people over, doesn't he?" 

Nel closes his eyes, breathing deeply.

"What are you- you're  _praying_? You stupid  _bitch_." Crackers can feel the anger coursing through him; he'd hoped the kid had  _known_ , had hoped he'd had a plan, but he's  _clueless_ ,  _hopeless_ \- "you have no fucking idea what you're doing, do you? No plan," the Kenku scoffs, "you're just wasting my time." Nel's jaw clenches, but he doesn't open his eyes. A pair of rough, leathery, surprisingly featherless wings stretch from the kenku's back, and he flaps them once, twice, loud and obtrusive. Nel rests his forehead against the banister, nails digging into the wood. "If this is your fuckin' plan, I'm leaving." Stepping away, Crackers' gaze turns to the sky, expression dark despite the sunshine pouring onto him. "And hey, unless you see the light," he's switches to infernal, specifically to irritate the elf, and it seems to be working, judging by his clenched jaw and pointed, deep breathing, "and by that I mean ' _the truth that our dad is a fuckin' asshole who deserves a good long dirt nap_ ', stay the  _fuck_ away from me." 


End file.
